I Love My Firenze
by XElleXX
Summary: What happens when Harry and Firenze hit it off during one of Hagrid's… inventive Care of Magical Creatures classes? Post Voldemort, Male/Male graphic sexual encounters, alive!Dumbledore


**Summary**: What happens when Harry and Firenze hit it off during one of Hagrid's… inventive CoMC classes? Post Voldemort, Male/Male graphic sexual encounters, alive!Dumbledore

**Pairing**: Harry/Firenze

**Author Note**: I know next to nothing about Firenze, so I kind of made everything up about him and the other centaurs. To my mind, Firenze = Very kind, courageous, Talkative, fun-loving kind of guy… er… centaur. Another thing, I had to look up all the things about horse riding. I rode when I was little but I remember diddly-squat from that time period. And I wouldn't call this bestiality because Firenze seems more human in my mind, but do be warned that horse-like body parts are found attractive in this story.

**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to J.K Rowling and Co. None belong to me.

"TALK"

'THINK'

Raineous = RAIN-e-us

Grean = Gree-AHn

Holdig = Holt-ish

Gingarious = Gin-gar-E-us

"Com' on now class, gather 'round, gather 'round!" Hagrid hollered excitedly at the mixed group of students sanding within the small clearing of the forest.

It was a beautiful April Friday, still a bit chilly, but not unbearably so. The sunlight twinkled down from the tree tops and different bird calls could be heard from every direction.

Said students, including the famous Harry Potter and the rest of the golden trio, warily walked a tad bit closer to the half-giant. They knew how dangerous some of his classes could get if they got too close to one thing or another.

"Now, now, yer all be'in scared ninnies," Hagrid said with a laugh, "As long as yer polite, the folks yull be seein' today won' harm a hair on yer head. Today, we 'ave the great honor to be speakin' one on one with a centaur fr'm this very own wood. Seems they're a tad bit late, so I'lls jus' tell yous about the hist'ry of the Forbidden Centaur Clan, as we call 'em."

As Hagrid stumbled along the details of the Centaurs beginnings, Harry thought about who they might be speaking with. 'I wonder if it will be Firenze and his little group,' he thought to himself.

"This partic'lar clan settled in this here forest 'fore even the four great found'rs of Hogwarts. Not even the curr'nt chief of the clan, Firenze, could tell ya when exactly it was that they first came to this wood, but they've been here ever since. Isn't that right, my frien'?" Hagrid asked, looking behind the group of students.

Hesitantly, the group turned to see a large number of male centaurs standing proudly in the sunlight.

The tallest, though certainly not the largest of the centaurs, smiled kindly at the teacher, "Yes, of course. Back then, we did not keep records at all like we do today. Good parchment was so hard to come by because of the pariah that surrounded all magical beings in those times."

Hagrid returned Firenze's smile easily and returned speaking to the students, "Now, each o' you will have a chance to speak to one o' the centaurs. The centaurs will com' to you, so I jus' ask that you all spread out in the meadow and learn as much as ya can about them and their ways o' life 'cause yull be writing a foot long essay about centaurs due nex' Monday!" Hagrid said merrily, "Get a move on, now, don' waste any time!"

Harry chuckled lightly at the gleeful giant before settling himself on a large rock near the side of the clearing. 'Not much of a meadow,' he thought to himself lightly while waiting for his centaur to arrive.

After a few minutes, Firenze came trotting up, smiling apologetically.

"I apologize, Harry Potter, for keeping you waiting," the centaur said as he bowed deeply to Harry, "We are not normally this disorganized; we have just arrived from a surprise birth in the clan."

Bowing back, Harry smiled and replied, "Please just call me Harry. And I don't mind waiting at all; especially if it's because of something completely unintentional."

"Well, we suspected that Raineous would go into labor soon, we just did not expect for him to have foaled twin colts in just a few hours. I must admit, seeing a successful double foaling is a very rare thing indeed."

Harry looked up surprised, "You mean the males can have children?"

Firenze laughed lightly at the boy's expression, "Look around you Harry, do you see any female centaurs here? Our kind are not as sexually defined as your species is. Under the right circumstances, any of us centaurs could become impregnated."

Harry shifted uncomfortably on the rock for a moment. He honestly didn't know how to comprehend that information. Harry had known that he was gay for a while now, and had almost given up the idea of a family due to the strict wizarding laws on gay adoptions; nearly every openly gay couple or person looking to adopt were turned away, for some unknown reason. But to think, the centaurs would never have to worry about that… Harry had to admit, if just to himself, that he was a tad envious.

"You look wistful, my friend," Firenze observed out loud.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Harry grinned apologetically at the taller man, "I'm sorry. I just got caught up in my thoughts for a moment. Anyway, would you mind me asking a few questions about your day-to-day life?"

The centaur held his arms out around himself. "Ask away," he said with a smile.

"Well, for starters, is it hard being the leader of the entire clan? Does it ever get stressful?"

"Of course, there are moments where the responsibilities pile up, but, for the most part anyways, I just mainly have to worry about the essentials of life; shelter, food, and safety. We trade many of our supplies with other clans and colonies around this area and have all the protection we need from Hogwarts. Nearing the winter, it gets a bit harder to find food so I must find different ways of storing up our catches to keep fresh for the entire winter."

Harry looked a bit confused, "Have you ever thought of using muggle techniques? They have many ways of preserving meat without the use of magic or even electricity."

Firenze nodded slowly, "We have contemplated it, yes, but our magic binds us so that we may not take help from the technological races. Also, some of the older members of the clan, older than even myself, are set in their ways. They ultimately refuse to do anything with the help of wizards or muggles because of the way they were treated by the humans while they were younger."

Harry hummed in thought, "How old could your people live to be?"

"The oldest ever talked about is approximately seven or eight hundred years of age. Though, most of us only live into our three or four hundreds at most."

"Wow, that's much longer than even Wizards. Would you mind me asking how old you are?"

"Not at all," the centaur smiled, "I happen to be in my late one hundred twenties; still quite young for my kind."

Harry laughed, "Guess you really can't judge a book by its cover. I would never have guessed you were that old!" he said teasingly.

Faking umbrage, Firenze puffed out his chest a bit and stuck his nose in the air haughtily, "I will have you know, compared to many, I am just a babe! If I were to compare my age to a wizard's age, I would only be in my mid twenties."

The bright sun shone brightly on Firenze's masculine face, and Harry couldn't help but to ogle the taller man just a bit.

Firenze's face was so nicely chiseled, with just a bit of gruff facial hair lining his jaw bone. His hazel eyes twinkled with kindness and amusement. His nicely muscled chest had just a bit of deep brown hair trailing down to meet the hair along his waistline. The way the centaur held himself was elegant in comparison to the other centaurs around; kind and giving, yet stern and demanding of respect.

"It is a beautiful day," Firenze said thoughtfully, "Maybe I will take a stroll down to the crick later. Would you care to join me, Harry?"

Harry blushed a bit and took his eyes off of the taller man, "I have classes until three."

Firenze smiled lightly, "That is why I said later. I could meet you at the edge of the forest after your classes. I must speak with Headmaster Dumbledore, anyhow."

The younger boy smiled and nodded happily.

"Com' now, class!" Hagrid hollered, "We need to let the centaurs go fer the time bein', but fear not! We'll be working with 'em once more on Tuesday. Now, say your goodbyes an' yer dismissed."

Harry waved goodbye to the centaur leader as he hopped off of the rock and make his way over to Ron and Hermione.

The rest of the day was a complete bore for both Harry and Firenze.

Harry's classes went about normal, with only poor Neville blowing up his caldron in Potions.

Firenze spent the most of his day looking over some of the different trade agreements between his clan and the fellow clans of the area. It was amazingly boring and he found himself severely excited about seeing Dumbledore, which was normally no better than looking over these files. Who knew people could write such useless words? He was so close to just stomping his hooves in frustration and boredom.

The centaur's visit with the Headmaster went exceedingly well, just a check up on the wards of safety around the forest and an update on how the clan was doing. The two chatted lightly about the foaling that had occurred earlier in the day before Firenze was off to meet Harry at the edge of the wood.

"Harry," he called out as he got closer to the young human. As the boy turned around, Firenze couldn't help but to admire the gorgeous emerald eyes and the messy black hair upon Harry's head. He would have made a beautiful centaur.

Harry turned and smiled at the approaching centaur, noticing how the man's eyes swept briefly over his face.

"Hey, there," he said happily.

"Hello," Firenze replied with small grin, "Did I keep you waiting again?"

Harry laughed lightly, "Not long. Shall we go?"

"That we shall," the centaur replied while holding his out to the younger boy.

Curiously, the raven haired boy took the centaurs hand and was completely baffled when the man said, "Climb on," and let go of his hand, lowering it to give Harry a place to step before he stung his leg over the other side.

Harry looked at the man warily, "I've never done this before."

"That is fine," Firenze laughed.

"I don't want to hurt you or anything."

"Trust me," the centaur said with a smirk, looking back at Harry, "I am a bit sturdier than you would think. You will not injure me in anyway."

"What… what am I supposed to do?" Harry asked, giving in.

Firenze smiled widely before replying, "Since you are on my right side, just place your right foot in my hand and step up. Hold onto my waist and swing your left leg over my back. From there, it is just a matter of getting comfortable," He laughed once more, "I know my withers are a bit high to ride bareback easily."

Slowly, Harry followed the man's directions and, with a bit of cringing and assuming that the 'withers' were the bits that were giving his groin a bit of a talking to, managed to find a comfortable spot to rest.

"This will be must faster and safer for you than if you were just walking beside me. We will be going quite far into the forest. Just hold tight around my waist and you will be fine."

With that, Firenze began a slow walk, moving into a slow trot before picking up speed into a light canter. Feeling Harry bumping along behind him, the centaur called back, "Posting will make this a lot less painful for you. Just tense your leg muscles around my side and let your legs gently raise and lower your hips so that the riding seems less bumpy and more fluid."

After a few more strides, Harry managed to get a hold of Posting and was starting to feel quite comfortable on the centaur's back. It was odd, having his arms wrapped around a strong, human-like chest and having his legs wrapped around a horse-like back, but it was comforting that both felt nice and sturdy. Harry felt himself relaxing into the cantering and his mind began to wander to the man in his arms.

He could feel Firenze's defined abs working overtime under his fingers. He could hear the centaur's semi-labored breathing and could feel the constant shift of muscles in the man's sides and back.

Suddenly, these all came to a stop, along with the body underneath Harry, and he was forced back into reality. Looking around felt like a fairy tale to Harry; the small crick trickled water down a small hill of rocks and lush green grass surrounded the little opening in the trees where the two had stopped. Butterflies and bumblebees flew here and there, collecting the pollen from the bright flowers that stand in small patches near the water.

"This place is beautiful," Harry said in awe.

"I come here on pretty days or on days where I am in need of a break from being leader. It can just be so boring sometimes," Firenze replied with a laugh. He offered Harry a footstep once more as the boy climbed down from his perch.

Harry walked over to the clear water and dipped his hands in. Feeling the slight chill, he cupped his palms together and brought some of the water to his mouth. Looking over, he saw Firenze following suit. His eyes followed the curve of the man's back and the flushed look on his face.

"I have never carried another on my back before. It was definitely much more taxing than I thought it would be. Maybe I have finally found a good workout regime!" Firenze laughed, "All I must do is carry you on my back more often."

Oddly enough, Harry was not at all adverse to the hidden proposal, "Whenever you need a good sweat, just hit me up… er… ask one of the first year Gryffindors to fetch me?"

The centaur's smile widened before he nodded his head and laid down in the plush grass. He stretched his human anatomy forward and rested his head on his crossed arms. Harry laid on his back beside Firenze, looking over at the centaur's face.

"I am still somewhat curious about that wistfully somber expression earlier while we were talking about how males of my species can foal. Do you wish to speak about it? I have very good ears," Firenze said with a small smile.

Harry looked away for a second before looking back at the older centaur.

"Well… in my society, there are people who like the same gender—"

"Called homosexuals or gays, yes; I know of them," Firenze interrupted.

"I've only told a few people, like my two friends that I left with earlier, but I'm one of those people; I'm gay," Harry paused, looking for any kind of rejection in Firenze's eyes, but finding none, "And in the wizarding world, openly gay people, men and women, are not able to have children with the same gender and they are not allowed to adopt children. I was just thinking earlier that all I've ever wanted was a family and I thought how amazing it would be to be with someone that I'm in love with, a male presumably, and have biological children as well."

"I can see how that would be quite cumbersome for you, Harry," Firenze said quietly, "but there must be some way of having your own children. Wizards have all different kinds of potions and new magical advancements all the time. I am sure that by the time you're ready to settle down and become a family man, there will be at least one option for you." Firenze sighed, "I can't imagine not being able to have my own foals. I am almost sure that I would be the one… doing the impregnating, not the one getting impregnated, but it is still comforting to always have the option available."

A slight blush appeared on the other man's cheeks, and Harry realized that the centaur was shy about the topic of sex. He giggled lightly to himself and turned onto his side, keeping his eyes on the other man's face.

"I can only hope that I'll have some sort of option when I'm ready," the raven haired boy sighed. "What about you? Haven't found that special one for you yet?" he asked teasingly.

The blush deepened on Firenze's face and the other man turned his head away slightly, "No, not yet. Since I am leader, I must be sure of my mate's worth to the clan and sadly not even one of them have caught my eye yet. Though, maybe I must wait a bit more. My father had to wait until he was in his late three hundred nineties to foal me."

Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That kind of sounds like a lonely life," he said.

The centaur leaned his torso up and rolled his shoulders for a moment before placing his chin in his palm, looking down at his human friend. Harry turned his head and looked up at Firenze's face.

"It can be," Firenze's replied quietly, "but that's when I go out and make more friends to keep my mind off of it," he smiled down at Harry.

The two just stared at each other; both searching for something in the other's eyes. Minutes passed and the two men began to lean into each other…

Suddenly, a fellow centaur burst through the opening to the clearing, "My leader, there are two intruders in the forest. We suspect that they might be rogue Deatheaters of some sort."

The two men's heads snapped up and Firenze quickly rose on his hooves. He lowered his hand and pulled Harry to his feet before lowering his hand to offer the boy a footstep, "Hop on, we must see to this at once."

Harry nodded silently and hopped lightly onto the other's back. He let himself wonder about those few moments in the clearing on the way to meet the rest of the clan, but made himself snap back to the present when they arrived in another clearing, this one much larger and occupied by many centaurs and a few curious men, looking to their leader for directions. After spotting Harry on their leader's back, many of the men bowed in respect to the young man.

"Do we have a visual on the intruders?" Firenze barked out, in full military mode.

"Yes, sir. Both human; one female, one male. The male is tall with… bad skin and red hair. The female has bushy hair and the two seem to have bickered their way into the forest. They seem to be looking for someone or something."

At this, Harry perked up and leaned forward to speak to Firenze. Laughing slightly he said, "I'm pretty sure I know who these two 'intruders' are. I don't know if you've ever met them, but my friends Ron and Hermione are probably just looking for me." He looked at the leader kind of sheepishly, "I kind of rushed off after classes without telling them where I was going. They're just always on my back about one thing or another."

Firenze looked stunned for a moment before breaking out in loud guffaws. The centaurs that were standing a few feet away, unable to hear Harry's words, stared in wonder at their leader's joyful manner. Normally the man was a bit more cool and collected then he was displaying now.

"My friends, my friends, there is no need for alarm!" Firenze chuckled, "The two humans are just here in search of Harry. They are his friends from school, just searching for him out of concern. I will take Harry to them so that they may rest themselves," with that, the chuckling man swiftly made his way through the forest, startling Harry into holding onto Firenze's torso much more than he previously had.

Firenze was in heaven. The beautiful Harry Potter was gripping him just so that it was easy to imagine that the boy was giving him a loving hug, there were no Deatheaters invading his forest, and Harry had admitted that he had been in a rush to see him. Maybe there was hope for the two after all.

As Ron and Hermione came into sight, Harry raised one of his arms, the other still snug against the centaur's chest, and waved enthusiastically at them. The two friends stopped to gape at the approaching men and did not cease their gaping until the two were stopped before them.

Firenze offered Harry his hand once more and the boy slipped down onto the leaf covered soil.

"Blimey mate! Nice way to make an entrance!' Ron said happily, patting Harry on the back.

Hermione, being the sensible one, smacked Ron on the arm and focused her 'Harry-Potter-You're-In-So-Much-Trouble' gaze on the other boy.

"Where have you been, Harry?" She asked, glancing back at Firenze who had his curious eyes on the trio as well.

Harry smiled, "I've just been speaking more with Firenze. I learned a few things earlier and wished to speak with him in more detail about some things that I could use for my essay." He knew relating his lost time to school would side-track her nicely.

"Oh," the girl said, looking surprised, "Well… ahem… I wish you would have told us where you were going Harry. We were so close to going straight to Dumbledore."

"Ah, yeah, Hermione, sorry about that," the raven haired boy answered sheepishly, scratching lightly at the back of his neck. "Would you mind if I just stayed a bit longer? I promise that I'll be back before dinner at six."

Hermione looked a bit hesitant, but nodded when she saw the excited look in her friend's eyes.

Ron and Hermione left and Harry turned to Firenze.

"Those two never leave me alone. It's like they're my watchdog or something," Harry cringed. He mumbled something more, but Firenze couldn't make it out.

"What was that last part?" the centaur asked with a grin.

Hoping that he hadn't heard him mutter anything, Harry blushed a deep red and mumbled, "Nothing."

Knowing better, Firenze walked up behind the boy and put his hands around his waist. Leaning in, he brushed his lips over the shell of Harry's ear and felt the boy shiver under his fingers.

"Tell me," he whispered.

Harry shivered once more. It was torturous having Firenze pressed against his back.

"I—" Harry's voice cracked and he had to clear his throat before he continued whispering, "I said 'that's probably why I'm still a virgin.'" Harry dropped his head, his face seemingly on fire.

The centaur was shell-shocked to say the least. He would have thought that all of the human females would have been throwing themselves at the young hero. But then he realized that the human form of attraction or comfort was much different than the centaurs'. This then made Firenze realize how close he was to Harry and how the boy could be taking his show of comfort in a different manner.

Fearful that the boy was disgusted with his closeness, as shown by the boy's utter silence, Firenze quickly pulled away. "I apologize greatly, Harry. I often forget that humans are much less open about physical closeness than we centaurs. I did not mean to offend you," he said quickly.

Harry turned around, looking at the taller man, "You didn't offend me, it was just… unexpected."

The centaur smiled comfortingly. "I am sorry if I startled you. We centaurs are much more physical than humans, we are quick to show how comfortable we are with other people. We often hug each other in greeting or in parting. Just a… tradition of sorts, I guess," he laughed.

"It's really no problem," Harry said, hoping that Firenze wouldn't scrape off on the physical contact because he quite enjoyed it. "I do have one kind of off topic question, though."

"Oh?" the man raised an eyebrow in question.

"There were men in your clan. Are they traders… or…"

Firenze laughed, "No, no, they are mates. Believe it or not, some of my people prefer to have human mates in the hopes that their foals will not turn out as much centaur and become more human. It does not really work though because it is very hard for a centaur to become impregnated by a human male." Firenze picked up a stick and twirled it around in his fingers for a moment, trying his best not to look at Harry as he continued, "We have had a few successful human male impregnations, though. It is odd that human males cannot reproduce together, but a centaur and a male human can easily reproduce; as long as the circumstances are correct."

Harry looked completely bewildered as to why Firenze had not told him this earlier when they had spoken of Harry's 'little problem.' He asked, "What circumstances?"

The centaur could feel his face heat up a bit and he turned away to look deeper into the forest, "You see, Harry, most humans just lump my species in with the domesticated horses, so they do not find us at all attractive. The same goes for centaurs; most are just not attracted to humans. The elders believe, though, that the centaur Magic is changing to accommodate humans into our reproductive chain. There are so few centaurs these days, and we are so picky about our mates, so we have branched out; and now it seems that if we wish to be attracted to a human, by our magic, we are allowed."

"So centaurs do have magic?" Harry asked, also turning away to hide his blush.

Firenze chuckled, but it was more self-deprecating than anything, "The only magic we have binds us in our ways. Previously, it would not allow us to mate with humans. Even today, our magic controls our influence in the outside world. We cannot communicate with muggles, we can barely communicate with wizards and witches; it is a menace really. And it controls how and when we are able to mate," he threw up his hands in the air before rubbing them over his face. "It is stressful to even think about," he mumbled.

Curious, Harry walked over and leaned against the flank of the centaur. "Would you mind if I asked to see it once more?"

Berating himself for his initial dirty thoughts, Firenze turned and smiled at the boy's contact. "Of course you may. Climb on."

Since they were standing right next to a large fallen log, Harry stepped easily atop that before attempting to swing his leg to the other side of the horse-like back, but slipped mid-swing on some algae that were growing on the log. He ended up half-laying on Firenze's back, clutching tightly at the now chuckling man's abdomen.

"It's not funny," Harry mumbled as he righted himself. He couldn't help running his hands through the hair on the centaur's back, admiring the slight curve where he was so easily seated. He never thought he would feel attracted to a centaur of all things, but he couldn't deny that his pants were feeling a bit tighter than they used to.

Firenze's breath hitched a notch when he felt a telltale hardness against his back, but wrote it off as merely arousal from the friction Harry had received when climbing aboard his back (which was ridiculous, he knew, but he would not allow himself to get his hopes up.) He also felt the fingers running through the hair along the side of his girth, but just dismissed the idea that Harry was thinking anything sexual as he began to walk north towards the colony.

Harry scooted up further and placed his arms once more around the centaur's middle and leaned his head between the other man's shoulder blades. He yawned slightly, comforted by the gentle to and fro motion.

"Do not fall asleep on me," Firenze chuckled, "We are almost there."

Harry woke up a bit when they got to the colony. He sat up more and rubbed his fist over his eyes to rid them of any sleepy-dirt that may have accumulated during his short nap though the forest.

He could see many of the other centaurs gathering around as he slid off of Firenze's back without the need of the offered footstep. One in particular, a smaller, thinner centaur than most of the rest, stepped up and offered his hand to the savior.

"My name is Raineous and it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Harry Potter," the centaur said as he shook Harry's hand.

"It's my pleasure, Raineous," Harry smiled. "How are your foals doing?" he asked politely, remembering that the centaur had foaled earlier that day.

Raineous smiled widely and looked back to the group. He waved over two identical small centaurs and said, "The one on the right is Grean and the one on the left is Holdig."

Harry bent a little, though they were tiny for centaurs, they were only about a foot shorter than he was. "Hello there," He said with a smile as the two boys stepped up to the sides of Raineous, threading their fingers through the longer hairs of the older centaur's breast.

Raineous just smiled and looked down at his little colts, "Now boys, do not be shy. Say hello. This man saved all of our lives, you know."

The colts' ears picked up and they said in unison, "Hello, Mr. Harry Potter."

Raineous absolutely beamed at Harry and ushered his colts off to the side. From there on out, all of the members of the clan, only about thirty or forty at most, approached Harry, wanting to shake his hand and thank him for what he had done in the war. "I couldn't have done it without backup," he would always reply to their delight. Firenze just stood off to the side and let Harry handle himself for a few moments as he admired the way the boy's back gently sloped and his soft tenor voice.

"I never would have pegged you as one of us, Firenze," one of the leader's friends said to him. The two had grown up together and were quite close, the only thing different about the two had been their sexual conquests. While Firenze hadn't known who to find attraction in, Gingarious found his love in Adam, a modern human squib. They'd been infatuated ever since they first laid eyes on each other during one of Adam's family's camping trips in the southern wood of the Forbidden Forest.

"One of whom?" Firenze asked innocently, never taking his eyes off of Harry.

"You know of whom I am speaking of; one of us; the few that are able to be attracted to humans. I know that look in your eyes. You had the same look seven years ago when you saved him," Gingarious nodded his head towards the savior, "from You-Know-Who. You are in love with him, admit it."

Firenze tore his eyes away from Harry to look his friend in the eyes. "I am," he said solemnly, "but I will not pursue it. He is still needed in the human world."

"That is a load of bull, if I've ever heard one," a third voice interrupted. Both turned to see Adam with his hands on his hips. Gingarious' eyes softened as he gazed at his tall lover. Adam was tall, even to some of the centaurs. His shaggy brown hair and crooked nose contrasted with his kind baby blue eyes. "I went into Hogsmeade just this past weekend for supplies and read a quick paper while in the Three Broomsticks. The aurors are taking care of everything. They're cleaning up the mess made by the war, not Harry. I say that if the magic allows it, it must be what's best."

Firenze sighed. He knew Adam was right. The magic would never have allowed it, especially with himself, if it would be detrimental to the clan or the leader. But he didn't even know if Harry liked him back!

"Firenze?" he heard a voice calling him out of his thoughts. He focused his eyes on Harry, standing in front of him with a wide grin on his face. "Welcome back to the land of the living," he said, chuckling.

The centaur just laughed and turned to his friends, "Harry this is an old friend of mine, Gingarious, and his human mate, Adam."

Harry held out his hand to the centaur to shake, but instead it received a kiss on the back of his palm and a sultry, "Hello, young hero." Harry blushed and looked over to see a fuming Adam raise his hand and smack it tightly across the centaur's head. Said centaur yelped and let go of Harry's hand in order to nurse his bruise.

"Don't mind him," Adam said brightly as he shook Harry's hand, "He's just being a goof."

Harry just chuckled and nodded, unconsciously stepping closer to Firenze.

Adam smiled widely, waved goodbye to the two, and dragged Gingarious along with him back to their small cabin. Harry swore that he heard the centaur whine, "But Adam! I only wanted to see what he would do," and Adam's reply, "It's not your business to go butting into his love-life."

More confused than ever, Harry looked over to Firenze who was glaring slightly at the leaving couple.

"Is… something wrong?" he finally asked.

The centaur seemed to break out of his thoughts and looked back down at the raven haired boy, smiling. "Nothing," he replied, "and do not worry, Gingarious is not normally like that. So what do you think of the colony so far?"

"It's great and the people are wonderful. I was surprised at how grown up the two colts, Grean and Holdig, are after just a few hours."

"Yes, our foals are born quite large themselves, and mature greatly within the first few days. By Monday, they will be running around terrorizing the colony like no others."

"And you all build your own cabins?" Truthfully, they looked more like small houses than cabins. They were quite large, though Harry guessed that they had to be to fit large horses inside.

"Yes," Firenze nodded, prideful about his group, "We build everything you see with our own two hands… well… seventy-two, if you want to be technical."

Harry laughed and followed the centaur as he gave him the grand tour. The whole colony was really just a large circle with a huge well in the middle. There was an outer ring and an inner ring of houses that were positioned quite symmetrically. There was also a large sundial above the well and several modern-looking telescopes in the center circle.

"Dumbledore was kind enough to give us these telescopes so that we may practice our astronomy much more accurately," Firenze told Harry. "And this," he said as they stopped before the largest cabin of all, "Is my home. Would you like to come inside?"

Harry smiled, "Please."

Entering the house was like walking into a whole other universe. Everything looked modern and artfully arranged, though double-sized. The couch was huge and the kitchen had running water and a wood oven.

"Wow," Harry said, "This is amazing."

Firenze nodded and rested his body near the large, crackling fireplace. Harry seated himself Indian-style next to him on the plush red rug.

"Are you sure none of this is man-made?" Harry asked jokingly, leaning his back against Firenze's horse-tummy.

The centaur laughed, "I am quite sure, Harry. We centaurs are very fine crafters as well as astronomers."

Suddenly, the two got quiet, just looking at each other. It felt so much more intimate, lying together in Firenze's own home. Harry felt like he would have given anything to be able to just kiss the older man right there, but he was hesitant. What if the other man was offended at his forwardness? He knew the man had to have some sort of interest in him, or else he would not have had his eyes on Harry's ass the entire time that he was meet-and-greeting.

Little did he know, Firenze was thinking the same thing. What if Harry was offended? Or worse, disgusted? He didn't know if he could handle that kind of rejection. But he knew that the magic would not give him this ability to love Harry Potter just to cruelly make it one-sided. So, he went for it.

Firenze leaned his face in slowly, watching Harry's eyes for any sign of rejection, but was surprised when Harry's eyes opened quickly in shock before closing and leaning in as well. As their lips met, Harry made a sound in the back of his throat; probably feeling the same wave of magic that washed over Firenze. Still, they continued kissing until Firenze slipped his tongue passed his human's lips. The wave of magic that passed over the two made them pull away gasping.

"What was that?" Harry asked breathlessly.

"That, Harry, was the magic. It is recognizing our … kiss and it is letting us know that it approves."

Harry laughed and ran a hand through his unruly hair, "Well, it's a good thing that it approves. Just for curiosity's sake, what would happen if the magic were to reject it?"

Firenze looked away, thinking that Harry was saying that he didn't want to do it again, "It would have never happened in the first place. And I must apologize, Harry. That was much too forward of me. I assure you that it will not happen again."

Startled, Harry stood on his knees and turned Firenze's blushing face towards his. "What if I want it to happen again?" he asked.

Firenze's eyes widened before he leaned up and pressed his lips tightly against Harry's. This time, Harry moaned into his mouth when Firenze's tongue moved past his lips. He slid his hands up into the centaur's long mane while the other man slid his hands down Harry's baggy t-shirt, tweaking one of his nipples on its way south.

Harry whimpered and allowed his own hand to move further down Firenze's body. Suddenly, his hand near the centaur's breast plate, his hand hit something hot and hard and he quickly pulled away to look down in wonder.

"But... I… I thought…" Harry stammered.

Firenze just laughed at the look on the boy's face, "Yes, that is one of the good things that comes with having half of a horse's body. We get to keep our human anatomy where we like it, though the magic hides it all from view when it is not needed."

Harry stroked his fingers slowly down the other's abs and looked up at him through his lashes. "May I?" He asked as his hand neared the centaur's large erection.

Firenze moaned deeply. "Do whatever pleases you," he said before pulling Harry down roughly to connect their lips once more.

Harry tried his best to fit his fingers around the other man's arousal, but he couldn't completely manage it. He kissed back enthusiastically while pulling his hand up and down. He felt Firenze moan harder as he twisted his hand near the tip and the man had to break the kiss to gasp for air.

"Oh, gods, Harry," Firenze looked right into the raven haired boy's eyes, "That feels amazing."

Harry smiled at his newfound lover, "I'm glad."

The centaur moaned once more before he also trailed his fingers down Harry's abdomen. He deftly undid the boy's belt and pants, pulling them gently down to free the other's hard cock. He wrapped his fingers around it and repeated the motions that Harry was doing on him.

Harry, never having felt this before, moaned loudly and bucked his hips lightly forward, looking for more and more friction on his erection. His face was completely lost in the blissful new feelings. In turn, he moved his hand faster and faster over Firenze's dick, hoping that the other would move faster as well.

And move faster Firenze did. Himself quite new at this, Firenze just followed Harry's direction. He moaned loudly and moved in to kiss Harry harder than before.

Harry continued bucking his hips into the other's fist as he kissed back bruisingly. He knew that he wouldn't last much longer, feeling the heat pooling in his lower abdomen. Suddenly, he threw his head back and screamed out Firenze's name as he came over his lover's fist.

Noting how beautiful Harry looked in the throes of passion, Firenze followed his partner into oblivion and he stifled his moans in the crook of Harry's neck. He felt Harry relax under his face and the other boy pulled back to place his hands on both sides of the centaur's cheeks. He leaned in and kissed the other softly, whispering, "Thank you."

Firenze kissed back softly before he pulled back and replied, "No, thank you."

The two settled onto the carpet once more.

"You know that's going to stain, right?" Harry laughed.

"You are the wizard. Do you not have some sort of nifty cleaning spell to use in this situation?"

"I do indeed," Harry replied as he pulled his wand from its holster, "but, I warn you now, it will tickle."

Quickly, he cast a Scourgify and the other man laughed loudly and winced when he felt the momentary scrubbing.

"Nifty," Firenze said.

"Nifty," Harry replied.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Guess what time it is?"

The two made it back to the edge of the Forbidden Forest at quarter after five. They quickly kissed goodbye and Harry made his way into the castle once more. But not after promising to return to the colony for the next two days. Harry had a feeling that he'd be spending a lot of time there until he finally graduated.

As he came rushing into the great hall, Ron and Hermione hounded with questions about why he had been late.

His only answer: "I love my Firenze."


End file.
